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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27885883">Broken Rules</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/pseuds/AZGirl'>AZGirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hart of the Matter [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Episode: s07e23 Patriot Down, Friendship, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:48:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>602</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27885883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/pseuds/AZGirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gibbs realizes that his actions have led him to break too many of his rules. Tag to 7.23 Patriot Down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hart of the Matter [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013751</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Broken Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the fourth of five episode tags from season 7 relating to M. Allison Hart episodes that I'm just now getting around to posting on this site. It's not necessary to read the others to understand this one, though knowledge about the season in general will be helpful.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>ooooooo</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Chapter Four: Broken Rules (aka Watch Your Six)</strong>
</p>
<p>“I’ll find Gibbs,” Tony says as he heads out of Vance’s office.</p>
<p>Closing the door behind him, he fishes his cell phone out of his pocket as he heads down the hall towards the landing. Pressing speed dial ‘1’ he knows that Gibbs probably won’t answer, but still he has hope that maybe, just maybe he might.</p>
<p>As the ringing predictably switches over to Gibbs’ voicemail, he can’t help but hang his head in defeat. Ever since Abby came back from Mexico...</p>
<p><em>Not now stomach</em>, he thought to himself as his gut painfully clenched.</p>
<p>Ever since Abby had returned, he’d noticed Gibbs had not been his usual bastard self. No, lately he’d been much worse. He could also sense an underlying sadness and something else – worry? defeat?</p>
<p>All Tony knew was that his Boss, his friend, had gone off without him to do something that would probably get himself killed. Once Gibbs got it in his mind to go off alone, absolutely no one could change his mind, and yet here he was trying anyway.</p>
<p>Bringing his right hand up to rub some tension out of his neck, he was startled by the beep prompting him to leave a message.</p>
<p>“Boss, Vance is looking for you,” he paused then snorted. “But you could care less, I’m sure. He’s got Hart in his office and probably has her spilling her guts by now.

“I know you think you need to do this on your own,” he briefly paused once again, “but you don’t! Let us help! Let <em>me</em> help!”  Without realizing it, the intensity and determination in his voice had increased with each successive word.</p>
<p>He sighed heavily and his shoulders subconsciously hunched over in defeat.</p>
<p>In a voice that broke slightly, he said, “Watch your six.”

He snapped his phone shut and headed towards the bullpen. He would do as he was told and search for Gibbs, but knew they wouldn’t be able to catch up to him.</p>
<p>His gut painfully kept reminding him that Mexico was the key.</p>
<p>ooooooo</p>
<p>“Watch your six.” Gibbs let his head hang a little as he heard the slight break in Tony’s voice as the voice message ended.</p>
<p>Snapping his phone shut with more force than necessary, he closed his eyes. Opening them, he took a deep breath, and as he shakily blew it out, he put his phone in his car’s glove compartment.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Tony,” he whispered and opened the car door grabbing his go bag on the way out.</p>
<p>He felt like he had broken, and was breaking, too many of his rules.</p>
<p><em>Rule 6: Never say you’re sorry. Rule 10: Never get personally involved in a case. </em>Rules 3, 13, 15…more? And he’d broken the most important one of all –</p>
<p><em>Rule 1: Never screw over your partner</em>.</p>
<p>Tony likely would be hurt and feeling betrayed after all their plotting against Hart and Bell, but there was no help for that now.</p>
<p>Hart knew much more than she was saying, but that didn’t matter anymore. Macy was dead because of his actions 20 years ago, and now Franks and his family were also in danger. All because of him.</p>
<p>There was no way in hell he was going to put his friends, <em>his family</em> in any more danger.</p>
<p>What he was about to do could cost him everything else he cared about – his job, his freedom, his life…</p>
<p>He was willing to risk it all just to protect them.</p>
<p>Even if it meant he’d have to go it alone.</p>
<p>ooooooo</p>
<p>
  <em>The End.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>ooooooo</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The first line of this story was taken directly from the episode written by Gary Glasberg. </p>
<p>Rule 3: Never be unreachable; Rule 13: Never, ever involve lawyers; Rule 15: Always work as a team.</p>
<p>Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing.  Any remaining mistakes are my fault. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>
<p>*Please do not repost or use this or any of my other works on another site or app without my knowledge or consent. FanFiction and Archive of Our Own are the only two sites (as AZGirl on both) where my fiction should be posted. Thank you!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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